In both County Armagh and County Down, two separate car accidents have resulted in five people losing their lives. The driver and three passengers, who are yet to be formally identified, were pronounced dead at the scene of a crash that occurred on the Ballynahonemore Road in Armagh at 2:10 am on Sunday. Meanwhile, in Newry, a man in his 40s died after being hit by a car on the Forkhill Road at around 10:40 pm on Saturday. He was hospitalised but passed away a short while later due to his injuries.
The Forkhill Road had to be closed for several hours before being reopened, while police are still at the scene of the Ballynahonemore Road incident. As of the time of writing, the road is expected to remain closed for most of the day. Supt Paul McGrattan, the PSNI District Commander, expressed his condolences to the families of the victims, calling the incidents an “unspeakable tragedy” that will undoubtedly be difficult to comprehend for the wider community.
DUP MLA William Irwin commented on the Armagh crash, describing the incident as “shocking”: “I have been talking to neighbours that live close by what happened and everyone is in a total state of shock.” Thus far, the cause of both crashes has yet to be confirmed, but the Collision Investigation Unit is currently conducting a “thorough and sensitive” investigation to determine what happened and assign responsibility as necessary.
These fatal accidents come amid a spate of such occurrences across the United Kingdom in recent months, with the COVID-19 pandemic causing less traffic on the roads but more reckless driving according to several reports. Authorities and communities have been alarmed by the number of incidents, with efforts to reduce the number of accidents on the country’s roads likely to be ramped up in the coming months
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